COVER STORY

BOMBAY JAYASHRI A strange and wonderful journey V. Ramnarayan

ot perhaps since the days of Veena S. Balachandar has a leading Carnatic musician traversed a path as unusual. Bombay Jayashri was all of 28 Nwhen she began a truly full-fledged performing career in Carnatic music. Though introduced in early childhood to Carnatic music, thanks to both her parents being music teachers, she grew up in cosmopolitan Bombay, revelling in the singing of bhajan-s and film music at functions small and large all over Maharashtra and Gujarat, learning Hindustani classical music, ‘geet’, film songs, and a variety of ‘light music’ genres. Through childhood and college, she almost kept her training in Carnatic music a secret. She had a ball singing jingles in several languages extolling the wonderful attributes of Bournvita, Mealmaker and Rexona, solo or in duets. Throughout this period, she was also learning Carnatic music from the rigorous school of T.R. Balamani, a renowned teacher of Bombay, who also taught the likes of Shankar Mahadevan. She loved the film songs of Rafi, Lata and Asha, and continues unabashedly to do so, despite stardom in Carnatic music. Mehdi Hasan and Farida Khanum are equally her favourites. She attributes her pitch perfect voice to her training in Hindustani music and her soulful articulation to her eclectic musical background. Her assimilation of such a varied range of musical ideas has ensured the success of her theme-based albums like Vaatsalyam featuring lullabies, or Agni showcasing Subramania Bharati’s fiery lyrics. She Young Jayashri sees no conflict between her concert career and the film songs she has sung over the years. She rarely performs in Chennai these days. Her December season concerts here are now limited to seven – to be reduced by one more next year, according to an insider. Sruti suddham and a contemplative quality mark her singing. A noticeable feature of her concerts is the superior aesthetics of her singing. In the past – especially after she resurfaced on the kutcheri platform after a four- year hiatus spent in drinking deep of the Lalgudi bani of music under violin maestro Jayaraman’s tutelage – she was accused of sweet, rather than deep music, crooning, and even singing “like the violin” in a soft voice. Today her stillness and sonorous voice draw comparisons with M.S. Subbulakshmi, though the majestic voice sometimes seems to lose its vitality as the concert

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progresses. Her stage presence is dignity personified. No flailing about of arms, no facial mannerisms mar her style, though by her own admission, it needed a young teacher back in her teens to make her look into the mirror for her to achieve such poise. She often seems completely lost in the sheer beauty of the raga music she presents. She is firmly convinced that the musician can transmit her own deep-felt emotions to the rasika in the audience, no matter what expectation brought him there in the first place. Jayashri is undoubtedly one of the leading lights of Carnatic music today, with a considerable fan following. She has also taken upon herself the task of propagating Jayashri and T.M. Krishna with Dr. Abdul Kalam at the launch of the the music among young Indians in India and abroad. book Voices Within In partnership with T.M. Krishna she is involved in initiatives towards creating future rasika-s as well as voice in the field least exploited by the artist? Why has future musicians with a keen sense of history and her growth as an individual artist not matched her tradition. The organisation they founded, Matrka, lateral growth in the field of performing arts and media? brought out a coffee table book, Voices Within, a tribute to Why is it that after over 20 years we do not have seven past masters of Carnatic music, and runs an annual something we can call the inimitable Bombay Jayashri event entitled Svanubhava, introducing to young students style? When will her spurts of open-mouthed, inspired the great music of the past through veteran musicians singing turn into her consistent best?” reliving for them the art of their guru-s and forgotten Jayashri is a picture of confidence as a musician. She has traditions. a healthy self-esteem that enables her to take criticism in her stride. “Once you become a performing musician, Jayashri appears to have arrived at an important you should be prepared to face and accept criticism,” juncture of her career, on the verge of a change of gears, she recently told a group of young journalism students. a phase in which her voice should gain greater vibrancy (She bowled them over comprehensively with her and her music profundity, and her inward journey candour and willingness to share). For someone of explore further the depths of the great legacy she immense pride in her art, she is also a humble student, has inherited from the giants of Carnatic music. The willing to surrender to the teacher. Her attitude to atmosphere is electric when she ascends the concert criticism is best exemplified by an incident some ten stage, and she straightaway casts a spell with her years ago, when she sought help from a reviewer – who perfectly sruti-aligned voice. It is not always easy to had strongly criticized one of her concerts – to make live up to the high expectations of her audiences, and some corrections, because she believed it was a case of it must take a superhuman effort to satisfy them, constructive criticism. though she is known to sing for herself, not to the gallery. Many feel she has the potential to become the top People who know Jayashri personally describe her as a woman singer in Carnatic music, a potential she can fulfil good human being, a kind and helpful one. She can be a thoughtful friend, relative or neighbour, with no celebrity if she reaches deeper into her own reservoir of talent – airs about her, and she can be generous with her time fearlessly, tirelessly. as the journalism students recently found out, but she There are still some critics who are not satisfied. A “long is completely professional when it comes to work. She time rasika” says, “Serenity is the essence of Bombay can be reclusive, unavailable to friends and rasika-s, “an Jayashri’s music. We can go home after her concert with enigma” as a friend put it, especially while preparing for a sense of peace and quiet. She has one of the sweetest a concert. Don’t expect her to attend a feast the day voices in Carnatic music today – silken, malleable and before a concert, no matter how close you may be to even haunting. Her pleasant and dignified stage presence her. That is the time she needs to practise, meditate, rest. adds to the ambience of the concert. But the expectant She needs time to herself, to reach towards her ultimate rasika also wonders: Why does the music not travel musical goals. “The best of Jayashri is yet to come,” her beyond the voice and the serenity? Why is the best mother told us. A happy prospect. n

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